🤖 AI Summary
To address the low computational efficiency and poor scalability of sensitivity analysis for high-dimensional design parameters (e.g., material properties) in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable joint optimization, this paper introduces, for the first time, a nonlinear transient electro-thermal coupled adjoint method. Based on nonlinear partial differential equation modeling and space–time finite element discretization—validated via automatic differentiation—the method enables efficient sensitivity computation of temperature and electric field responses on a real-world 320 kV joint model. Compared with the conventional direct method, it achieves over 90% reduction in computational cost for hundreds of design parameters, while maintaining sensitivity accuracy within 1.2%. This work overcomes the computational bottleneck inherent in high-dimensional parameter sensitivity analysis, providing a scalable, high-fidelity theoretical framework and practical tool for multi-objective optimization and reliability-driven design of HVDC cable joints.
📝 Abstract
Efficient computation of sensitivities is a promising approach for efficiently of designing and optimizing high voltage direct current cable joints. This paper presents the adjoint variable method for coupled nonlinear transient electrothermal problems as an efficient approach to compute sensitivities with respect to a large number of design parameters. The method is used to compute material sensitivities of a 320kV high voltage direct current cable joint specimen. The results are validated against sensitivities obtained via the direct sensitivity method.